Pessary



Aug. 18, 1931.

A. FIESSLER PESSARY Filed Sept. 24. 1927 Patented Aug. 18,1931' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -.Application led September 24, 1927, Serial In. 221,783, and in Germany October 11, 1,926.

My invention relates to pessaries of the type in which a support of a material not influenced by the heat of the human body, is combined with a charge of a material which melts at the temperature of the body and contains some medicament.

It is an object of my invention to provide a pessary of this type Ewhich possesses the goodfeatures of the pessary known as the tampon but is without its drawbacks.

To this end, I embed the charge in the support so that it is held therein and protected from immediate melting, and I provide a hole or holes in the support from which the charge issues while it is melting.

Broadly, a pessary is a foreign body inserted in the vagina for the treatment of womens diseases and consisting of, or containin a medicament. Such appliances,

regar less of their` shape and their material, are known as pessaries in the phraseology of gyneecologists.

A particularly useful type of pessary is the tampon, a support of cotton wool or i other suitable material which serves for rel taining medicaments in the upper part of.

the vagina for a comparatively long period, six to eight hours, so that they can take proper action. yTampons,-however, involve S0 the serious drawback that it is necessary to extract them by hand, a manipulation which is not always easy and may cause pain when the vagina is inflamed. .On the other hand, tampons must not be leftinthe vagina too long as this may lcause putrefaction, outflow,

and inflammation.

These drawbacks are overcome in my invention by an appliance which is also a pessary in the above broad meaning of the term. 40 In a preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide an annular charge of a material containing a medicament, which material is adapted to become liquid, that is, to melt or to be dissolved, by heat or moisture, or the combined action of both, as, for instance, a gelatine compound, and a bag or cup of thin rubber in which the charge is held by bending over the edge of the bag or support so as to surround the ring. A hole, or holes are made in the walls of the pocket so formed from which the material of thering when i melting or being dissolved, issues and has access to the vagina.

By these means the medicament is retained for a comparatively long period in the upper 55 end of the vagina, as 1n a tampon, as the appliance is retained until its charge has been completely melted or dissolved. The period of action is therefore equal to the time required for complete destruction of eo the charge, and is normally six to eight hours but may be varied within wide limits by varying the configuration or composition of the charge.

When the charge hasA been completely broken u the support is deprived of its comparatlve rigidity and is ejected with the secretions from the vagina, and this is the principal advantage of my invention. It does notrequire withdrawing but withdraws itself, and it is impossible thatit is retained in the vagina beyond the proper time. The removal of the support occurs without assistance and without any pain.

My invention is particularly useful for the treatment of chronic cathar and inflammation of the uterus, the uteral ligaments and the ovaries, and also for the treatment v of catarrh of the vagina, and infectious diseases, exactly as the tampon. v In the accompanying drawings two appliances embodying my invention are illustrated by way of example.

Fig. "l is an axial section of a pessary the holes of which are so arranged as to permit outflow of the medicament etc. 'only/on the inside/of the support. Y

Fig. 2is a similar: section showing lholes so arranged asJ topermt outlow on the'inside and the outside of the support.

In both figures, 2 is a bag, cup or other support of a material which is not iniluenced, that is, neither melted nor dissolved, by heat or moisture, as thin rubber or other exible material, and 3 is the charge, here shown as a ring which is comparatively rigid when cold but ismelted by heat or dissolved by moisture, for instance, a gelatine compound containing a medicament. 4 is the edge of the support which :sov

is bent into a tubular pocket to secure the ring 3 and is pasted to the outside of the support at 5, or secured thereto by any other means. 6 are slots or other openings on the inside of the support 2 adjacent the ring 3 from Which the molten or dissolved substance of the ring issues to the inside of the bag or cup.

With the arrangement of the slots etc. 7`

in Fig. 2, the substance issues to the outside as Well as the inside of the cup 2.

Which type of pessary is used, Will be determined by the character of the disease to be treated.

I claim:

A pessary comprising a normaily firm medicated ring liquiiable by heat of the body and a cup-shaped pocket of thin collapsible material non-dissoluble by heat and moisture, the edge of said pocket being overturnedy and joined to the exterior of the pocket thereby forming an outwardly closed chamber for housing said ring, the ring thus normally reinforcing the chamber, the inner Wall of said chamber having perforations adapted to permit discharge of medicated matter into said pocket When said ringmelts from heat and moisture, whereby, upon said ring having completely dissolved, the pocket automatically collapses.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

AUGUST FIESSLER. 

